Do You read Huffington Post? You know I had my cable cut the year I wrote my first book. Not being a great TV fan anyway, ( OK, except for Extreme Homes on HGTV, old movies on TNT, and The Weather Channel), I didn't miss it. So I never bothered to have it hooked back up when I was finished with the book.
I'm unplugged and proud of it. You might try it sometime. Just turn the TV off for a month. Then, if you really want to turn it back on, go ahead. After a month without it you might realize how much you don't miss it.
Even someone who doesn't fall for prime time needs a little news now and then and I get mine from Huffington Post. They have interesting opinions from people who would not get published by main stream papers- like Deepak Chopra on the health care crisis.
They have the news you get anywhere, plus the news that gets censored everywhere. You might find a different twist on current events in the pages of Huffington Post.
Speaking of censored, have you heard about the contaminated flu shots? I thought not. How about one peep on the situation in China and her captive Tibet on the 50th anniversary of the Chinese Invasion and the Dalai Lama's flight for his life to India? Nothing? Not a word about the thousands of troops stationed around the remaining monasteries? Hum, that's strange. News like that should make the papers...
They also have really cool stuff like this link to Neil Youngs new video:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-young/huffpost-video-premiere-n_b_173714.html
Did you know Neil has a car that gets 100 miles a gallon? Did you know it's a 50's caddy that probably weighs as much as a steam engine? (Why doesn't everyone have cars that get 100 mpg? Well, let's see, why would not benefit from cars that got 100 mpg?)
While you are there, check out the link to the late night roundup, the best jokes from the late shows presented for all of us unplugged people, and the link to Comedy Central, home of the best political commentators in recent years. And we thought the name meant it was a comedy channel. Thank goodness for that link, which gave me the Colbert Report, one of those TV gems that I had been missing with out even knowing it.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Labels
This week I am dedicating my blog time to getting all these posts labeled so that you can search for amusing, enlightening reading material by subject. At a few over a hundred posts, this might take me some time. Meanwhile, have you noticed? How light it is outside in the evening? How long the days are becoming? Is the dark winter of '08-'09 finally over? Let's hope so.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
I'll Have A...
I got this cute, charming and relevant work of art in an e-mail recently. Normally I resist passing on cute junk mail, but this one I just had to send to a few choice friends, and I like it so much I have to share it with you as well. I would say this ladies order would be especially appropriate, and a good idea, if you were having your coffee while you read the news paper.It's times like these we can take comfort from the fact that the only constant is change. I hope you have a week full of joy!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It's Only Rock and Roll
I managed to catch a bit of the inauguration speech on TV yesterday, and then I came home and got on line to read the rest. There was one thing in particular that President Obama ( doesn't that sound good?) said that really struck me, and got me to meandering. He said that 60 years ago his relative (did he say dad or granddad?) would not have been served in some restaurants in this country.
How much the face of America has changed in just one generation. It's amazing really. I had not thought about it, I mean, as far as I can tell we are all one big family. President Obama's remark made me think of all the un-sung heroes of the civil rights movement and I pictured all the missing ( ie: disappeared while working for the civil rights movement, presumably buried somewhere in the deep south) and forgotten civil rights workers, lined up in heaven watching Obama take his oath.
It also occurred to me that the baby boomers always said they were going to change the world- "peace and brotherhood, man" and this moment in history clearly confirms that they were right. I mean, 60 years!It seems like a long time, but honestly, in the history of the world, it's a really, really, short time. From "you can't eat here" to "please be our president". And they made it happen, those baby boomers, while literally stoned out of their minds a large percentage of the time. Amazing.
I was thinking about the beginning of peaceful race relations in this country and I'm no historian, but it came to mind that rock and roll had a hand in all this change. Back in the early days of rock and roll (not really early, that would be the late 20's and early 30's when rock and roll was a infant) like about the time rock and roll became a young adult, the 50's.
This country was still really segregated, but artists like Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins and Elvis were playing some really hot tunes and no one seemed to care if the band was white boys or black men, as long as they rocked. Anglo kids were going to the other side of town to hear these legends and in the process, finding out the other side of town was not that different. Meanwhile the African American teens were having to put up with this invasion, made some reconnaissance missions of their own and came up with the same conclusion.
I'm sure there was a lot more to it than that, but you get it. It was the music that gave them a bridge to cross. And they did. And look what happened.
Then in the 60's it continued with more music, less inhibitions and a philosophy that loved everyone. I recently saw an interview with Deepak Chopra and Robert Therman and Deepak was saying - everyone wonders where the 60's went, well it's right here in front of you, we are the 60's, we haven't gone anywhere, we just look different now. Now we are expanding our minds in a different way, with similar results. Rock on Deepak.
By the 70's the freaks were fully indoctrinated to the idea that it didn't matter what you looked like or where you came from. If you wanted to party, then party it was, turn up the music and the peace and brotherhood vibe resonated even stronger. Well, like I said, I'm no historian, but it looks like the boomers did change the world, in their own unique way.
Right now it's easy to look around and see lots of things about this country that need changing. There are plenty of things wrong. But you know, Obama's remark made me realize that there are a lot of things right as well, and maybe we are all just so used to living in the land of the free that sometimes we take it for granted. I'm thankful I caught a bit of that speech, it really gave me something to think about.
Peace Man.
How much the face of America has changed in just one generation. It's amazing really. I had not thought about it, I mean, as far as I can tell we are all one big family. President Obama's remark made me think of all the un-sung heroes of the civil rights movement and I pictured all the missing ( ie: disappeared while working for the civil rights movement, presumably buried somewhere in the deep south) and forgotten civil rights workers, lined up in heaven watching Obama take his oath.
It also occurred to me that the baby boomers always said they were going to change the world- "peace and brotherhood, man" and this moment in history clearly confirms that they were right. I mean, 60 years!It seems like a long time, but honestly, in the history of the world, it's a really, really, short time. From "you can't eat here" to "please be our president". And they made it happen, those baby boomers, while literally stoned out of their minds a large percentage of the time. Amazing.
I was thinking about the beginning of peaceful race relations in this country and I'm no historian, but it came to mind that rock and roll had a hand in all this change. Back in the early days of rock and roll (not really early, that would be the late 20's and early 30's when rock and roll was a infant) like about the time rock and roll became a young adult, the 50's.
This country was still really segregated, but artists like Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins and Elvis were playing some really hot tunes and no one seemed to care if the band was white boys or black men, as long as they rocked. Anglo kids were going to the other side of town to hear these legends and in the process, finding out the other side of town was not that different. Meanwhile the African American teens were having to put up with this invasion, made some reconnaissance missions of their own and came up with the same conclusion.
I'm sure there was a lot more to it than that, but you get it. It was the music that gave them a bridge to cross. And they did. And look what happened.
Then in the 60's it continued with more music, less inhibitions and a philosophy that loved everyone. I recently saw an interview with Deepak Chopra and Robert Therman and Deepak was saying - everyone wonders where the 60's went, well it's right here in front of you, we are the 60's, we haven't gone anywhere, we just look different now. Now we are expanding our minds in a different way, with similar results. Rock on Deepak.
By the 70's the freaks were fully indoctrinated to the idea that it didn't matter what you looked like or where you came from. If you wanted to party, then party it was, turn up the music and the peace and brotherhood vibe resonated even stronger. Well, like I said, I'm no historian, but it looks like the boomers did change the world, in their own unique way.
Right now it's easy to look around and see lots of things about this country that need changing. There are plenty of things wrong. But you know, Obama's remark made me realize that there are a lot of things right as well, and maybe we are all just so used to living in the land of the free that sometimes we take it for granted. I'm thankful I caught a bit of that speech, it really gave me something to think about.
Peace Man.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
I'm Hopeful, Are You?
Well, Obama is not much to look at, but I think he's the best chance to see something positive happen in government that we have had in a really long time. After all, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and U2 are all singing at the inauguration concert, political references don't get much better than that, I'm taking it as a really good sign.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Meander with Me a While, and Leave Your Good Ideas in the Comment Section.
Amidst all this holiday fa-la-la-ing, I’ve been meandering around the current issue of putting people back to work. I think Obama and Joe have some good ideas, and, as a patriotic and concerned citizen I have a few more ideas for them that they can have- no charge.
First, lets make it a rule that if your corporate headquarters is in the USofA, your call center must be as well. Now I think that would put a lot of people to work, and you and I would have the customer service advantage of actually being able to understand the English that our call center representative is using to talk to us a mile a minute. Now, I know regional accents can be a bit confusing at times but hey- I would much rather try to decipher a deep south “can I help you” than a English as a second language learned in a 6 week course ‘can I help you”. I have more patience when I know the call center is supporting the economy of our great nation, and I always love finding out the person is somewhere across the country and asking how the weather is there, and where is a good place to eat if I ever happen to be in their town.
While we are at it, making rules that is- lets say that if your corporate phone menu has more than two selections you must have operators answering the incoming calls and directing people to the correct extension. This would make all our lives much easier and probably save millions of dollars in lost work time as we all know we are making those calls that take 17 different menu selections and 54 minutes to complete on work time.
Why don’t we outlaw those noisy gas guzzling riding mowers, leaf blowers and weed whackers? Make yard work a teen age occupation once again. We would save gas, reduce noise pollution, and get teenagers off their lazy butts and away from the computer long enough to make a little cash for that next game they want. In the process they might loose a few pounds and teen obesity would be reduced as well as health care costs, as many overweight teens become overweight adults with diabetes and heart disease which the cost of medicating put a drain on our health care system. What if someone –like an elderly person on a fixed income- can’t afford to pay a teen? Well, put those welfare recipients, the ones who can’t get a job because they don’t have skills, to work doing yard work for those on a fixed income. Anyone can learn how to mow a yard or wack a weed. Make it mandatory for any able bodied person who is now collecting welfare.
While we are on the subject of welfare- why not make being a stay at home parent an occupation paid for by the government? That’s what welfare is you say? Well, let’s change it a bit- lets say one parent can stay home and get a salary, which is fixed- regardless of the number of children in the family. That might just be incentive for people to stop having so many kids they can’t take care of. Think about it- You only get so much a year. If you only have one kid, there will be a lot more to spend on the really important things- like booze, cigarettes, tattoos and those really fine rims for your shag mobile. Then, make counseling mandatory for any parent in the program, that would put a lot of people to work doing the counseling ( not to mention doing the accounting and paperwork for the program) and the parents would have an opportunity to learn to parent. We could also give them job training starting when ever they want, or if they don’t want- when the child is 16. That would give them two years to learn a skill and get a job before the gravy train stops running.
This program would also be an advantage for those single parent families where the parent is barely making enough to cover child care so they can go to work. Let them get paid to stay at home and be a parent to their child. Give the low pay- hundred hour a week job to someone who does not have a child at home that they are trying very hard to raise right.
If we can spend billions putting our troops overseas, why can’t we spend some money funding after school care centers in every neighborhood in the
Speaking of our troops- why don’t we bring them home and put them along our boarders where they belong? Now, I know, there is not much for them to do along the boarders, but they could be developing new green technology, helping in poor neighborhoods- kinda like a peace corps. This would give the military a new meaning, defending
I do love the space program, but at this point, I think it’s time to cut a lot of the funding and get all those NASA eggheads into the high schools to develop world class science programs for our young people. I figure if they can put a man on the moon they can probably figure out a way to make science attractive to teenagers and before long the USofA would be tops again in science and technology training. The NASA eggheads would design the programs, and train many more science teachers to do the teaching. We could give schools incentives to spend as much on their science programs as they do on their sports programs. While we are at it, let’s get new built in the
Why don’t we subsidize salaries for people who work with the elderly, the disabled and kids? Where would we get the money? Why don’t we cut all those tax breaks to big corporations who really should be paying the taxes because they are making all that money! Make jobs that require you to take care of another human important, and make them pay well. We would have more people going into the fields and eventually, enough workers to really fill the needs of our most vulnerable populations. The fact that jobs in these professions are low pay, high turnover is a disgrace to our nation.
Now, at this point you are probably thinking- boy that Meandering sure has some good solid ideas for putting people to work. We should vote for her next time. Now, stay with me because I’m gonna get a little out there on you, but I think, when I’m finished you will still be saying “good idea!” I have also been pondering how to make jobs and improve the health of our population at the same time. This is a little harder to do than just create jobs- however, I think it’s important because not only are a lot of people out of work, our great country can boast the poorest health and the most spent on health care of any developed nation. We really have to turn this around.
How about we learn something from
A scientific study on meditation done in Washington DC showed that crime rates went down in the DC area when they had round the clock meditation practitioners sending out “the vibe” – no, I’m not kidding. We could make meditation a good paying job and set up centers in all the big cities. Keep the vibe going 24/7 and reduce crime rates while we created a lot of jobs.
And last but not least- It’s also been scientifically proven that grain fed beef ( what you typically buy and eat) has way more Omega 6 ( the bad kind) fatty acids than Omega 3 ( the good kind) fatty acids, and this translates to- eating omega 6 beef throws your omega fatty acid balance way off and causes your cholesterol to go way up and your body to be in a state of inflammation all the time which can lead to diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other serious health problems. However- cattle that eat grass have lots more omega 3’s than omega 6-es, just as the lord intended, and eating that kind of beef is not a health hazard. Now, most people will not give up the beef, but we could bring back free range cattle, and cowboys/cowgirls. Make cattle herding a great paying job, and require the beef industry to set the cattle free. Make it illegal to lot feed, and grain fatten beef, and get rid of the outdated and polluting methods of raising beef that we have now.
Now, I know this is a lot to digest all at once, and there is a lot to consider when you go about makin’ rules and cutting funding and adding funding and using public money and shuttling dollars from big business to care for the disabled. Once you’ve had a time to ponder all this, why don’t you leave a comment with your idea of how to improve the job situation in this country. Once all the suggestions are in, I will send this to the Obama-Biden transition team so they can ponder it too. Oh, yes, they will read it, they owe me one, I’m holding a “health care reform community discussion” for them in my town.
Once you are done putting in your two cents worth, get back to the fa-la-la-ing, ‘tis the season.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Just Say No to Prescription Drugs
Last night I spent some time looking at a popular women's magazine. I like to take a look through one now and then, examining the ads to see what people are falling for, um, I mean consuming. It keeps me up to date on what my clients may be eating, drinking, buying and following as part of current popular culture.I also peruse a few other magazines on a regular basis, for the same reason. I want to know what my clients are thinking about.
This magazine had a full page ad on the dangers of teen agers taking prescription drugs for the purpose of getting high. The ad states that 19% of teens have abused prescription drugs to get high. Under the statistic screaming headline it says: Talk to your kids about how dangerous it can be.
The magazine is full of colorful two page layout highly attractive ads for prescription drugs. It has ads for all kinds of ailments and the drugs that are going to save you from these ailments. It has all kinds of photos of people looking all happy because their doctor prescribed some pills for them. This magazine touts the advantages of popping pills. Many of the ads use scare tactics. If you don't take this, you might die from this! In fact, you might be dieing right now! Go ask you doctor for this drug!
33% of those ads are for prescription drugs specifically for kids.
How crazy is that? Am I the only one confused by this? Does this magazine have a split personality? Is the average consumer that stupid? How do we expect kids to stay off drugs if we start giving them daily medications when they are just little kids?
Why are drug companies allowed to advertise like that? How much would consumers save on prescription drugs if the drug companies did not spend billions on advertising and you heard about drugs that you really did need only by speaking with your doctor?
This magazine had a full page ad on the dangers of teen agers taking prescription drugs for the purpose of getting high. The ad states that 19% of teens have abused prescription drugs to get high. Under the statistic screaming headline it says: Talk to your kids about how dangerous it can be.
The magazine is full of colorful two page layout highly attractive ads for prescription drugs. It has ads for all kinds of ailments and the drugs that are going to save you from these ailments. It has all kinds of photos of people looking all happy because their doctor prescribed some pills for them. This magazine touts the advantages of popping pills. Many of the ads use scare tactics. If you don't take this, you might die from this! In fact, you might be dieing right now! Go ask you doctor for this drug!
33% of those ads are for prescription drugs specifically for kids.
How crazy is that? Am I the only one confused by this? Does this magazine have a split personality? Is the average consumer that stupid? How do we expect kids to stay off drugs if we start giving them daily medications when they are just little kids?
Why are drug companies allowed to advertise like that? How much would consumers save on prescription drugs if the drug companies did not spend billions on advertising and you heard about drugs that you really did need only by speaking with your doctor?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout
I found this little nugget in the Time magazine, the article was about positive changes we make while trying to conserve fuel.
Four day work weeks- apparently Brevard community college in Florida went to a 4 day week last summer session and saved $268,000 in energy costs. The unexpected benefits were the ones I'm interested in- sick leave fell 50% and turnover among the 1,500 staff members dropped 44%.
The conclusion: People are happier and healthier when they have more time off. Didn't I just say that in my last post?
Since we shun vacation time in this country, maybe we should all get on a plan to save energy by making 4 day work weeks mandatory. Make a 4 day school week mandatory as well. Give everyone a 3 day weekend every week. I bet we would see a lot more far reaching positive changes if we did that.
How could it possibly hurt? I mean, we are all working our butts off now and look at the state of the economy. I don't think we could do much damage by working smarter rather than harder and saving a whole lotta energy while we did. Imagine the savings of every company in the US saving $268,000 in energy every quarter!
By the way, the article says some of the other benefits are: bike sales are up and that is good news for our fat butts, and some manufacturing that was over seas is shifting home and that's good for our skinny wallets. Less driving means less wear and tear on the roads, fewer traffic deaths and less pollution. More cop shops are putting officers on the feet beat rather than letting them cruise around from donut shop to donut shop in big old hopped up cop cars, that's good for neighborhoods.
Four day work weeks- apparently Brevard community college in Florida went to a 4 day week last summer session and saved $268,000 in energy costs. The unexpected benefits were the ones I'm interested in- sick leave fell 50% and turnover among the 1,500 staff members dropped 44%.
The conclusion: People are happier and healthier when they have more time off. Didn't I just say that in my last post?
Since we shun vacation time in this country, maybe we should all get on a plan to save energy by making 4 day work weeks mandatory. Make a 4 day school week mandatory as well. Give everyone a 3 day weekend every week. I bet we would see a lot more far reaching positive changes if we did that.
How could it possibly hurt? I mean, we are all working our butts off now and look at the state of the economy. I don't think we could do much damage by working smarter rather than harder and saving a whole lotta energy while we did. Imagine the savings of every company in the US saving $268,000 in energy every quarter!
By the way, the article says some of the other benefits are: bike sales are up and that is good news for our fat butts, and some manufacturing that was over seas is shifting home and that's good for our skinny wallets. Less driving means less wear and tear on the roads, fewer traffic deaths and less pollution. More cop shops are putting officers on the feet beat rather than letting them cruise around from donut shop to donut shop in big old hopped up cop cars, that's good for neighborhoods.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Did You Know...
If I were in Tibet, I would go to jail for a long time just for posting this photo or having this bumper sticker.
God Bless America!
God Bless America!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
I'm getting all political on ya, but don't worry, it's just a reaction to tax time.
The following post contains political commentary some (conservative and liberal) might find offensive. Continue at your own risk.
When I woke this morning my mind went directly to meandering into the events on my calendar for today. Or should I say the event. Yes, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s that time of the year again. Tax time.
For those of you who draw a paycheck, get a w2 in the mail, scribble a few numbers on a e-z file sheet and pop it in the mail, tax time is no biggie. In fact, I know ya’ll hit the post office by the end of January and eagerly await your money back. I always wonder why this elicits so much joy, I mean, it’s not like the government is giving you a gift, it’s your money. Your money that the government borrowed with out interest I might add. Wouldn’t it be better to just put that money in an interest bearing account and then pay the government at the end? I don’t know, that’s just me.
Anyway, for those of us who are self employed, tax time is a whole ‘nother story. I have boxes of files, reams of paper, ledgers and receipts and notebooks. I have 327 categories for deductions and 857 receipts to match each one. I have 7 different forms and schedules to fill out and honestly, the whole thing is so complicated I have to hire an accountant to fill out the papers. The problem, of course, is that I have to have the numbers all carefully tucked away in their proper places so the accountant knows what goes where.
Personally, I think we should have a tax system based on what you spend, not what you make. You know, that theory was bouncing around a few years ago, I think it was called a luxury tax. If this were the current tax system, I wouldn’t be spending the whole day sorting through receipts. I would just turn in the stack of receipts from the liquor store and call it a day.
Now, I don’t mind paying taxes, I understand we have to have some money laying around to help those who really need help. I have no problem with making sure the elderly and the disabled have enough to eat and a place to live. I do however mind paying to care for people who could work but don’t.
It appears there are plenty of people living off my taxes who do so just for the hell of it. I've met a lot of people living on disability who were definitely fit enough to be working. My solution to that? Well, why don’t we just say that if you are physically able to work,and you still apply for benefits, then your benefits are based on your previous taxes paid. If you have never worked, and could have, you don’t qualify. If you are "disabled" you have to prove it and the testing is not done by doctors ( who make money off disability office visits) but by marine drill sergeants.
Now I know that opens a whole can of worms, but hey, it’s just my opinion.
Worried about the jobless? Well, lets all quit buying cheap junk made in China and insist on American made everything. Lets bring manufacturing back to the US and put these people to work. They can report to the factory instead of the benefits office each morning. Now, it may not be great work, but it’s a paycheck that doesn’t come out of my hard earned taxes.
Worried about the high cost of American made goods? I think the prices would go down if we brought manufacturing back and honestly, how many two dollar plastic gadgets made in a country that poisons our pets and kills Buddhist Monks do you need? Would one twenty dollar gadget make do if you knew it would reduce your tax burden by a large margin? Would you rather pay twenty dollars in taxes so some guy could sit on his butt watching TV all day except for his quick run to the mail to get his monthly unemployment check or would you rather pay twenty dollars for an item made in America?
Now some say the luxury tax would not support our government. Well, it would if they were more accountable for spending. I do not like my taxes being spent on war. I especially don’t like it when billions of tax dollars are spent to kill and be killed, meanwhile, my disabled from birth sister gets a measly few hundred dollars a month in benefits to live on. Something is wrong here. I think war is one of the things that politicians should pay for out of their own pockets. If they vote yes they should put their entire salaries into the pot.
Here’s a novel idea, why not make it mandatory that if we go to war, we have to use nuclear force? Wait, hear me out before you think I’ve lost it. How many politicians would want to go on record as saying yes to nuking somebody? How many American military lives would be saved if we never put troops on the ground? How many countries would try to kick our ass if they know there was just one way we would retaliate? I think it could be the start of some real peaceful times, and we would save a lot of tax money by not going to war.
I also do not like my taxes spent to care for undocumented residents. Now, don’t get me wrong, the US was founded in compassion for the “huddled masses”, and some of my own relatives were “off the boat”. They did however, come in the front door not the window. They went to work and paid taxes too. I say invite anyone to come in, but they must come in the front door and become citizens, and pay their share of taxes. If and when they really need help they qualify. Again, benefits are based on your previous taxes paid. If you have never worked, and could have, you don’t qualify.
I also don’t like paying taxes to support a bunch of people in prisons. My answer to this problem? If they killed, they get the chair, no questions asked. If they were white collar crime, we put them to work for the government where all the other white collar criminals are only they don’t get paid, they get room and board. All those violent but didn’t kill criminals? They get the chain gang and start rebuilding the infrastructure that once made this country great. All those people who are in jail for minor infractions, put them to work in the fields growing food so we don’t have to import so much. There will be no more sitting on your ass in jail for anyone. That right there would save so much tax money our tax rate would drop by 50% immediately
You know, I think it says in the constitution that we can’t be taxed twice. Wasn’t that the whole idea behind the constitution? To set up a democracy where the people are taxed fairly and represented well? Hum, seems to me that I’m being taxed on my earnings, and then taxed again at a state level on my earnings, then taxed again when I buy something, I pay county government taxes, town government taxes, taxes for water and sewer services, fire department taxes, school taxes,and library taxes and hell, that feels like being taxed more than once. Something’s fishy about all that.
Oh, I also heard that there is something about no tax without representation in the constitution as well. So I came up with another novel idea to solve that problem. Why not tax only those people whose political candidate wins the presidential election? I mean, my candidate never wins, so I don’t feel represented, so why do I have to pay taxes? Picture this: Everyone, and I mean everyone, registered to vote. If your candidate wins you pay taxes during their term. If your candidate looses you don’t. Simple,yes?
Honestly, if we just implemented a few of my suggestions the government would not have to be handing out economic stimulus checks, your taxes would be lower than ever and everyone who could work would be working. Now if I can just get my tax documents tied up in a neat little bundle as fast as I just solved the problems with the US government, I would have all day to relax!
Oh, and in case you forgot how it goes,
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
When I woke this morning my mind went directly to meandering into the events on my calendar for today. Or should I say the event. Yes, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s that time of the year again. Tax time.
For those of you who draw a paycheck, get a w2 in the mail, scribble a few numbers on a e-z file sheet and pop it in the mail, tax time is no biggie. In fact, I know ya’ll hit the post office by the end of January and eagerly await your money back. I always wonder why this elicits so much joy, I mean, it’s not like the government is giving you a gift, it’s your money. Your money that the government borrowed with out interest I might add. Wouldn’t it be better to just put that money in an interest bearing account and then pay the government at the end? I don’t know, that’s just me.
Anyway, for those of us who are self employed, tax time is a whole ‘nother story. I have boxes of files, reams of paper, ledgers and receipts and notebooks. I have 327 categories for deductions and 857 receipts to match each one. I have 7 different forms and schedules to fill out and honestly, the whole thing is so complicated I have to hire an accountant to fill out the papers. The problem, of course, is that I have to have the numbers all carefully tucked away in their proper places so the accountant knows what goes where.
Personally, I think we should have a tax system based on what you spend, not what you make. You know, that theory was bouncing around a few years ago, I think it was called a luxury tax. If this were the current tax system, I wouldn’t be spending the whole day sorting through receipts. I would just turn in the stack of receipts from the liquor store and call it a day.
Now, I don’t mind paying taxes, I understand we have to have some money laying around to help those who really need help. I have no problem with making sure the elderly and the disabled have enough to eat and a place to live. I do however mind paying to care for people who could work but don’t.
It appears there are plenty of people living off my taxes who do so just for the hell of it. I've met a lot of people living on disability who were definitely fit enough to be working. My solution to that? Well, why don’t we just say that if you are physically able to work,and you still apply for benefits, then your benefits are based on your previous taxes paid. If you have never worked, and could have, you don’t qualify. If you are "disabled" you have to prove it and the testing is not done by doctors ( who make money off disability office visits) but by marine drill sergeants.
Now I know that opens a whole can of worms, but hey, it’s just my opinion.
Worried about the jobless? Well, lets all quit buying cheap junk made in China and insist on American made everything. Lets bring manufacturing back to the US and put these people to work. They can report to the factory instead of the benefits office each morning. Now, it may not be great work, but it’s a paycheck that doesn’t come out of my hard earned taxes.
Worried about the high cost of American made goods? I think the prices would go down if we brought manufacturing back and honestly, how many two dollar plastic gadgets made in a country that poisons our pets and kills Buddhist Monks do you need? Would one twenty dollar gadget make do if you knew it would reduce your tax burden by a large margin? Would you rather pay twenty dollars in taxes so some guy could sit on his butt watching TV all day except for his quick run to the mail to get his monthly unemployment check or would you rather pay twenty dollars for an item made in America?
Now some say the luxury tax would not support our government. Well, it would if they were more accountable for spending. I do not like my taxes being spent on war. I especially don’t like it when billions of tax dollars are spent to kill and be killed, meanwhile, my disabled from birth sister gets a measly few hundred dollars a month in benefits to live on. Something is wrong here. I think war is one of the things that politicians should pay for out of their own pockets. If they vote yes they should put their entire salaries into the pot.
Here’s a novel idea, why not make it mandatory that if we go to war, we have to use nuclear force? Wait, hear me out before you think I’ve lost it. How many politicians would want to go on record as saying yes to nuking somebody? How many American military lives would be saved if we never put troops on the ground? How many countries would try to kick our ass if they know there was just one way we would retaliate? I think it could be the start of some real peaceful times, and we would save a lot of tax money by not going to war.
I also do not like my taxes spent to care for undocumented residents. Now, don’t get me wrong, the US was founded in compassion for the “huddled masses”, and some of my own relatives were “off the boat”. They did however, come in the front door not the window. They went to work and paid taxes too. I say invite anyone to come in, but they must come in the front door and become citizens, and pay their share of taxes. If and when they really need help they qualify. Again, benefits are based on your previous taxes paid. If you have never worked, and could have, you don’t qualify.
I also don’t like paying taxes to support a bunch of people in prisons. My answer to this problem? If they killed, they get the chair, no questions asked. If they were white collar crime, we put them to work for the government where all the other white collar criminals are only they don’t get paid, they get room and board. All those violent but didn’t kill criminals? They get the chain gang and start rebuilding the infrastructure that once made this country great. All those people who are in jail for minor infractions, put them to work in the fields growing food so we don’t have to import so much. There will be no more sitting on your ass in jail for anyone. That right there would save so much tax money our tax rate would drop by 50% immediately
You know, I think it says in the constitution that we can’t be taxed twice. Wasn’t that the whole idea behind the constitution? To set up a democracy where the people are taxed fairly and represented well? Hum, seems to me that I’m being taxed on my earnings, and then taxed again at a state level on my earnings, then taxed again when I buy something, I pay county government taxes, town government taxes, taxes for water and sewer services, fire department taxes, school taxes,and library taxes and hell, that feels like being taxed more than once. Something’s fishy about all that.
Oh, I also heard that there is something about no tax without representation in the constitution as well. So I came up with another novel idea to solve that problem. Why not tax only those people whose political candidate wins the presidential election? I mean, my candidate never wins, so I don’t feel represented, so why do I have to pay taxes? Picture this: Everyone, and I mean everyone, registered to vote. If your candidate wins you pay taxes during their term. If your candidate looses you don’t. Simple,yes?
Honestly, if we just implemented a few of my suggestions the government would not have to be handing out economic stimulus checks, your taxes would be lower than ever and everyone who could work would be working. Now if I can just get my tax documents tied up in a neat little bundle as fast as I just solved the problems with the US government, I would have all day to relax!
Oh, and in case you forgot how it goes,
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Something to Think On
I’ve been reading Kurt Vonnegut’s first novel, Player Piano. It’s beautifully written. It was published in 1952 and is Kurt’s farsighted portrait of a society where machines have taken over the jobs of humans, leaving most of the population with nothing to do.
However, in the story, you can’t do “nothing”, so if your intelligence tests don’t define you as one who would be good at managing the machines, you are sentenced to life as a member of the lower caste. The lower caste is given most everything they need, including a TV in every room of their home and all the latest electronic gadgets, and kept busy doing grunt work. The challenge for them is to invent something meaningful to do in their lives. They reminisce about “when work was meaningful”.
Meanwhile the main character, who is among the ruling class, becomes painfully aware of the illusion of his existence and decides he’s not really living at all, just managing ( and not very well) to put up with his artificial existence.
It’s interesting that Kurt could see so far into the future and predict the real internal issues of our time. The book is 341 pages and what really struck me was this tiny part:
The main character is being questioned (with the help of a lie detector) as to his real opinions and motives, there is some question among the judges as to whether the lie detector is working. They ask him to state something false. He does and the detector goes to false. Then they ask him to say something true and he says “The main business of humanity is to do a good job of being human beings, not to serve as appendages to machines, institutions, and systems.” The lie detector agrees he is telling the truth.
I thought wow! A rare gem of truth set in a circle of high quality story telling, and really, something to think on.
However, in the story, you can’t do “nothing”, so if your intelligence tests don’t define you as one who would be good at managing the machines, you are sentenced to life as a member of the lower caste. The lower caste is given most everything they need, including a TV in every room of their home and all the latest electronic gadgets, and kept busy doing grunt work. The challenge for them is to invent something meaningful to do in their lives. They reminisce about “when work was meaningful”.
Meanwhile the main character, who is among the ruling class, becomes painfully aware of the illusion of his existence and decides he’s not really living at all, just managing ( and not very well) to put up with his artificial existence.
It’s interesting that Kurt could see so far into the future and predict the real internal issues of our time. The book is 341 pages and what really struck me was this tiny part:
The main character is being questioned (with the help of a lie detector) as to his real opinions and motives, there is some question among the judges as to whether the lie detector is working. They ask him to state something false. He does and the detector goes to false. Then they ask him to say something true and he says “The main business of humanity is to do a good job of being human beings, not to serve as appendages to machines, institutions, and systems.” The lie detector agrees he is telling the truth.
I thought wow! A rare gem of truth set in a circle of high quality story telling, and really, something to think on.
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